Wedge-plate belt splice



Sept. 28, 1943. A. E. L AzzELl.

WEDGE-PLATE BELT .SPLICE Filed April 10, 1942 INVENTOR. ARCHE E.'A225219 BY.'

A 7mm/YM Patented Sept. 28, 1943 VVEDGE-PLATE BEUR` SPLICE Archie E..LazzelL Columbus, Ind., Vassignor to Reeves Pulley Company, Columbus,Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application April l0, 1942,'Serial No.433,386

9 Claims. l (Cl. 24-37) The present invention relates to a belt splice,and has for its primary object the provision of an extremelyinexpensive, simple, but highly effective means for securing togetherthe ends of a belt body or band. While the invention'finds its majorusefulness, and is illustrated,` iny connectiony with a belt of the typecomprising a body to which are secured laterally rigid,` transverselyextending spacer blocks, the invention is not limited tothatapplication. Y

' Further objects of the invention will appearas the descriptionproceeds. v

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention maybe embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawing,attention being called tothe fact, however, that the drawing isillustrative only, and that change may be made in the specificconstruction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of theappended claims is not violated.

Fig. l is a side elevation of a fragment of a belt the ends of which aresecured together through the medium of my novel splice;

Fig. 2 fis a transverse section taken substantially on the line 2 2 ofFig. land looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a .longitudinal section taken substantially on the line 3 3 ofFig. 2 and lookingin the direction of the arrows; and 4 Fig. 4 is a planView of one end of the belt, parts of the splice having been removedtherefromfor clarity of illustration.

Referring more particularly tothe drawing, it will be seen that I haveillustrated a belt comprising a band or body indicated-generally by the1 reference numeral I0, with which there isassociated an outer series oftransversely rigid blocks I Iv and an inner series of transversely rigidblocks l2, each pair of blocks lI and l2 being secured together and tothe band Ill by means of one or more bolts I3 passing therethrough, withnuts I4 threaded onto the ends of the bolts to clamp the block pairtogether upon the .belt body.

y edge of said platell.

is considerably thicker than the edgev of said v plate remote fromsaidbelt end extremity..v Preferably, the outer surface 2| of the plate I'Islopes uniformly from the edge I9 toward the opposite A similar plate 22is secured to the inner surface 23 of the belt end, its edge 2li beingpreferably vcoplanar v with the extremity :25' of thebelt end I5 andwith the edge I9 of the plate Il; and the surface 25 of the plate 22slopes preferably uniformly from the edge 2G toward the edge of theplate 22 remote from the Abel-t extremity, 20. Preferably, but notnecessarily, the surfaces V2l and 25 are equally and oppositelyangularly related to a plane lying midway ybetween the outer and innersurfaces I8 and 23 of the belt-end I5. Essentially, the surfaces 2l and25 vapproach that plane as they retreat from the belt extremity 2D.'-Rivets 26 pass' through the plates 22 and Il and have their headscountersunk in the surfaces 25 and 2l, as is clearly illustrated inFigs. 1 and 3. u

A plate 21 is secured to the outer surface of the belt end I6, its edge28 being located in the plane of the extremity Y,29 of said belt end I6,and its outer surface 35 sloping toward the plane intermediate thesurfaces. of the belt end I6 as it retreats from `the edge 28.A'cooperating plate 3l issecured, to the inner surface of the belt end I5, its edge 32 lying in the plane of the extremity 23 of said belt end,and its surface 33 likewise sloping uniformly toward said intermediateplane as it retreats from the edge 32. Rivets 34 pass through the plates2l and 3! to secure said plates to the belt end I5, their heads beingcountersunk in the surfaces 30 and 33.

A metal plate 35 straddles the `plates Il and.2l,'

said plate being formed with angularly related surfaces 35 and 3lconforming to, and engaging,

thesurfaces 2I and 30 of said plates ll and 2l. The surface 38 of. said.plate 35 remote from the beltY body is, in the preferred form of theinvention, part cylindrical as shown; but this feature vofconstruction'is not essential to the invention.

A non-metallic block 39 overlies. the plate 35, being'formed with asurface lll shaped to conform to the surface 38 of said plate 35. Theblock 39 is formed with one or more bores 4I, while the plate 35 isformed with a corresponding number of apertures and the plates I'I- and2l are'formed With notches 5I and 52, for a reasonlater to becomeapparent. Y

i A plate 42 similar to the plate 35 straddles the Wedge plates-22 and3l, said plate 42 being formed to provide angularly `related surfaces 43and 44 conforming to and engaging the surfaces 25 and 33 of the plates22 and 3|. The outer surface of said plate 42, in the illustratedembodiment of the invention, is part cylindrical,

as indicated at 45; but this feature is not essential to the invention.A non-metallic block 46 overlies the plate 42, and is formed to providea surface 41 conforming to the surface 45 of the block 42. One or morebores 48 penetrate the block 46 to register with a corresponding numberof apertures 55 in the plate 42 and with notches 53 and 54 in thethicker edges of the plates 22 and 3|. It will be seen that the bores 4Iand t8, the apertures 55 and 56, and the notches 5|, 52, 53, and 54 allare brought into registry when the splice is assembled, for the passageof bolts 49 adapted to receive nuts 5l] on their projecting ends,whereby the assembly is clamped together. The bolts 49 and nuts 50 actdirectly upon the blocks 39 and 4S, urging said blocks toward each otherto hold the plates 35 and 42 against separation; whereby the surfaces 36and 31 and the surfaces 43 and 44 cooperate with the surfaces 2|, 3B,25, and 33 of the respective wedge plates l1, 27, 22, and 3| positivelyto prevent separation of the ends l5 and I6 of the belt body l.

- I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a belt body of means for securing together theends of said body cornprising a plate secured to each surface of eachend of said body and extending transversely thereof, the thickness ofeach of said plates ad'- jacent the extremity of its associated belt endbeing greater than its thickness remote from such extremity, an elementengaging both plates on one surface of said body and conforming to theirsurface contours, an element engaging both plates on the other surfaceof said body and conforming to their surface contours, and meanssecuring said last-named elements in place with respect to said plates.

2. The combination with a belt body of means for securing together theends ofI said body comprising a plate secured to each end of said bodyand extending transversely thereof, the thickness of each of said platestapering from its edge .adjacent the extremity of its associated beltend toward its edge remote from said extremity, an

element enga-ging both of said plates and con- `0f said body andextending transversely thereof, `a second plate secured to the samesurface of the other end of said body and extending transverselythereof, the. thickness of each .of said plates tapering from its edgeadjacent the extremity of its associated belt end toward its edge remote.from said extremity, an element engaging both of said plates andconforming to their surface contours, a separate element cooperativelyassociated with the opposite surface of said belt,and

vseparable clamping means cooperating with said elements to hold saidfirst-named element .removably in securing engagement with :said plates.

4. lThe combination with a belt body of means for securing together Vtheends of said :body comprising means producing a progressive increase inthe effective thickness of said belt adjacent y .each end thereof, meansengaging the portions of increasing thicknesswith a wedging action, andseparable means clamping said last-named means in place to preventvseparation sof said ybelt ends,

5. The combination with a belt body of means for securing together theends of said body comprising a pair of Wedge plates secured to one endof said belt, said plates being associated respectively with the twosurfaces of said belt end and each extending transversely of said beltend and diminishing in thickness from its edge adjacent the extremity ofsaid belt end toward its edge remote from said extremity, a second pairof wedge plates secured to the other end of said belt, said second pairof plates being associated respectively with the two surfaces of saidother belt end and yeach extending transversely of said other belt endand diminishing in thickness from its edge adjacent the extremity ofsaid other belt end toward its edge remote from said extremity, meansengaging the two plates secured to one surface .of said belt, meansengaging the two plates secured to the other surface of said belt, andclamping means engaging both of said lastnamed means to hold the same inco-operative relation with their associated plates.

6. The combination with a. belt body of means for securing together theends of said body com prising a pair of Wedge plates secured to one endof said belt, said plates being associated respectively with the twosurfaces of said belt end and each extending transversely of said beltend and diminishing in thickness from its edge adjacent the extremity ofsaid belt end toward its edge remote from said extremity, a second pairof wedge plates secured to the other end of said belt, said second pairof plates being associated respectively with the two surfaces of saidother belt end yand each extending transversely of said other belt endand diminishing in thickness from its edge adjacent the extremity ofsaid other belt end toward its edge remote from said extremity. meansprovided with angularly related surfaces conforming to and engaging theinclined surfaces of the two plates secured to one surface of said belt,means provided with angularly related surfaces conforming to andengaging the inclined `surfaces of the two plates secured to Itheothersurface of said belt, and clamping means engag ing both of saidlast-named means to hold the same in cooperative relation with theirassociated plates.

7. The combination with a belt body of means for securing together theends of said body comprising a pair of metal wedge plates secured to oneend of said belt, .said plates being associated respectively with thetwo surfaces of saidbelt .end and each extending transversely of saidbelt fend and diminishing in thickness from its edge .adjacent theextremity of said belt end toward `its -edge Vremote fromsaid extremity,.a second pair of metal wedge plates secured to the other end `of saidbelt, said second pair of plates being asso- 'ciated respectively withthe two surfaces of said yotherbelt end and each extending transverselyvof vsaid other belt end and .diminishing in thickness from its edgeadjacent the extremity of said other belt lend toward ,its edge remotefrom said extremity, metal means engaging the two plates secured to onesurface of said belt, metal means .eng-aging the two plates secured tothe other sur face of said belt, and clamping means engaging both ofsaid last-named means to hold the same in cooperative relation withtheir .associated plates.

8. The combination with a belt body cfmeans for :securing .together theends vof said body `com-- prising a pair of metal wedge plates .securedto :one .end of said rbelt, said `plates :being .associated yone end ofsaid belt, said `plates being associated v ersely of said other belt endand kdiminishing in thickness from its edgeadjacent the extremity ofsaid other belt end toward its edge remote from said extremity, Vmetalmeans engaging theY two plates secured to one surface of said belt,metal means engaging the two plates secured to the other surface of saidbelt, a non-metallic block overlying said rst-named metal means, anonmetallic block overlying said last-named metal means, and clampingmeans engaging said blocksv to maintain the above-recited elements inassembled relation.' y

9. The combination with a belt body of means for securing together theends of said body comprising a pair of metal wedge plates secured torespectively with the two surfaces of said belt end and each extendingtransversely of said belt end and diminishing in thickness from its edgead-- jacentthe extremity of said belt end toward its edge remote fromsaid extremity, a second pairr of metal wedge plates secured to theother end of said belt, said second pair of platesbeing associatedrespectively with the two surfaces of said other belt end and eachextending `transversely of said other belt end and diminishing inthickness from "its edge adjacent the extremity of said other belt endtoward its edge remote from said extremity, metal means engaging the twoplates secured to one surface of said belt, metal means engaging the twoplates secured to the other surface of saidr belt, a non-metallic blockoverlyingfsaid first-named metalmeans, a non-metallic block overlyingsaid' last-named metal means, a plurality of bolts passing through saidblocks and said metal means, and means cooperating with said bolts tohold the elements of the splice in assembled relation.

' ARCHIE E. LAZZEIL.

